Good morning and welcome to your morning wrap of news, sport, and weather around Sydney for Friday, January 5. A sunny day is on the way with temperatures of around 28 degrees expected in the city and up to 35 in the west. Enjoy your day!
45-degree heat set to hit Sydney on scorching weekend
It is going to be hot and sticky in Sydney over the weekend, with temperatures set to hit the mid-40s by Sunday.
On Saturday, Richmond and Penrith are forecast to reach 41 and 42 degrees respectively before hitting tops of 44 and 45 degrees on Sunday.
While Saturday is a little milder in the inner city - a top of 31 in the city, and 34 degrees at Mascot - it will be hot right across greater Sydney on Sunday. Read more
Expert slams federal complacency on shocking road death toll
A leading government expert has declared the national black spot program a "Band-aid" road safety solution that should be scrapped, and claimed inertia by successive federal governments is contributing to the rising number of road deaths.
Dr John Crozier, chair of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons' Trauma Committee and a leading road safety expert, was last year hand-picked by the Turnbull government to co-chair a review of the national road safety strategy.
The inquiry is due to report in April. However Dr Crozier told Fairfax Media that it was already clear the strategy will fail to meet its 2020 target of reducing the annual numbers of deaths and serious injuries on Australian roads by at least 30 per cent. Read more
Bushland for some, bars for others: what matters to Sydney communities
In Turella and Bardwell Park, the locals are passionate about bushland. In Burwood, Strathfield and Homebush, they're concerned about affordable housing and traffic. In Frenchs Forest and Schofields – and, well, in many places across Sydney – a big issue is a lack of things to do in the evening.
Surveys conducted as part of the Berejiklian government's program of "planned precincts" reveal significant discrepancies but also common threads in what Sydney residents value about their neighbourhoods.
Facial recognition with your takeaway coffee
The faces of customers at Sydney's Bahista Cafe are scanned by an iPad as they approach the barista at the coffee machine.
Instantly the customer's name, favourite order and whether they are due for a loyalty reward flashes up on another iPad facing staff. Read more
Tactical blunder with nightwatchman gives Australia the momentum
Australia are primed to pounce with the second new ball on Friday after England paid the price for not employing a nightwatchman in a dramatic finale to the first day of the fifth Ashes Test.
Steve Smith's men seized the momentum by landing two huge blows in the last two overs at the SCG, denying England captain Joe Root an elusive century in this series in the process. Read more
